KUALA LUMPUR: Former world number five Low Wee Wern, who is still far from her best form since her fourth knee surgery, was eliminated as early as the first round in the Malaysian Open Squash Championships 2022.
Playing her second tournament after a 16-month rest since the World Championships in July last year, the 32-year-old was seen struggling against her former national teammate Chan Yiwen at the National Squash Centre here.
Yiwen, 22, recorded an easy 11-4, 11-9, 11-4 win after just 28 minutes to challenge sixth seed and world number 33 Melissa Alves of France in the second round tomorrow, for a place in the last eight.
Wee Wern, the former Asian Games silver medallist, was also eliminated from last week’s Singapore Open in the first round, her first competitive outing since undergoing extensive reconstructive surgery in her right knee last year.
Wee Wern previously made heads turn when she won the 2018 Malaysian Open title in her return from her third knee surgery.
The world number 86 Yiwen said, the win was crucial for her to regain confidence after being eliminated in the first round of the last edition and unable to perform well at the Asian Team Squash Championships in South Korea, early this month.
“I just did my part and will keep my objective very clear, which is to focus on the match and keep going for tomorrow. Hopefully, she is okay, but during the second set there was some impact, I guess, her knee is not alright.
“I have never played against Melissa before, so don’t know what to expect. Just have to be prepared based on video analysis and work with the coaching team on the best strategies that suit,” she said after the match.
Meanwhile, world number 83, Muhammad Addeen Idrakie Bahtiar staged one of the biggest upsets in the tournament to oust world number 22 Omar Mosaad of Egypt in the men’s singles that lasted over an hour.
The 28-year-old former SEA Games champion ensured his spot in the second round with a 14-12, 11-5, 11-13, 11-7 victory, the biggest win of his career, to face Raphael Kandra of Germany tomorrow.
“I think I gave my best performance to advance to the Malaysian Open second round for the first time. I hope to play better tomorrow,” he said. – Bernama